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Study The Arts, Develop the Mind

A recent article in Edutopia makes the case that interest in arts education is on the upswing. It says that states and schools are carving out more time for arts education, despite the pressure to test in other subjects, because of the belief that the arts contribute to students' development and can be used as a learning tool. Research on student cognition is fueling this interest, the article says.

The story offers a lot of good links to studies and reports describing trends in arts education across the states. One of the arts advocates featured prominently in the piece is Arizona schools superintendent Tom Horne.

"If they're worried about their test scores and want a way to get them higher, they need to give kids more arts, not less," Horne said. "There's lots of evidence that kids immersed in the arts do better on their academic tests."

Horne has a longstanding interest in the arts, the story notes. He's a classically trained pianist, who founded the Phoenix Baroque ensemble. Sweet music to art lovers, no doubt.

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